The Ross Review: Lists

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Saturday, January 3, 2026

Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020): A Discography by Work

I've heard and played through enough of Nikolai Kapustin's pieces to feel comfortable calling him one of the great pianist-composers in music history. Yep, he's right up there with Chopin, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff in this regard. The melodic distinctiveness and sheer exuberance of his best work give me no qualms at all about saying this. Western music critics still largely haven't caught on. (They're often some of the last to do so with composers of more popular appeal.) But performers are starting to, especially those from the Far East - an area of the world that is currently doing much to carry the Western classical music torch. (Recall the recent International Chopin Piano Competitions, for instance.) More power to them!

Some of this you can see in the discography I have created below. By now it is apparent that items such the Op. 40 etudes, the Op. 53 preludes, and the Second Piano Sonata are already contemporary classics. But while I was surprised at how much some of the chamber music is being recorded, it's also true that large stretches of Kapustin's vast output await substantial exposure. My list below isn't exhaustive; there are many fine self-published recordings I haven't included. Likewise, there are some wonderful live performances available on YouTube that I skipped, but which I invite the curious to peruse. (One of these is of the Third Piano Concerto, an extraordinary work I hope receives a commercial recording very soon.) Nonetheless what I offer here is hopefully enough to give the curious a good start, and to provide an idea of both the strengths and many holes in this composer's discography. If you find an error or obvious omission, please leave a comment. Enjoy!

Op 3: Variations for Piano Solo and Big Band (1962)

Capriccio C5528. 2024. Frank Dupree, pianist. Jakob Krupp, bassist. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. SWR Big Band. SWR Symphonieorchester.

Op. 8: Toccata for Piano Solo and Orchestra (1964)

Capriccio C5528. 2024. Frank Dupree, pianist. Jakob Krupp, bassist. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. SWR Big Band. SWR Symphonieorchester. (Originally released as a single for download: Capriccio C2007.

Op. 14: Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra (1974)

Capriccio C5528. 2024. Frank Dupree, pianist. Jakob Krupp, bassist. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. SWR Big Band. SWR Symphonieorchester.
Melodiya RCID14722846. 2019. Dmitry Masleev, pianist. Vladimir Lande, conductor. Siberian State Symphony Orchestra.

Op. 16: Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra (1972)

Capriccio C5528. 2024. Frank Dupree, pianist. Jakob Krupp, bassist. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. SWR Big Band. SWR Symphonieorchester.

Op. 25: Concert Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra (1976)

Capriccio C5528. 2024. Frank Dupree, pianist. Jakob Krupp, bassist. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. SWR Big Band. SWR Symphonieorchester.

Op. 26: Daybreak ("Sunrise") for Piano (1976)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Melodiya С60 28239 000. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist.

Op. 28: Suite in the Old Style for Piano (1977)

Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Melodiya С60 28239 000. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00143. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. (Same as Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002?)

Op. 36: Toccatina (1983)

Ars Produktion ARS38517. 2012. Evelyn Hilschmann, pianist.
Hello Stage HLSCD005. 2018. Jacqueline Leung, pianist.
Hyperion CDA67275. 2001. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist.
Sony 19075875102. 2018. Roman Rofalski, pianist.

Op. 39: Piano Sonata No. 1 ("Sonata-Fantasia") (1984)

Hyperion CDA67159. 2000. Steven Osborne, pianist.

Melodiya С60 23759 008. 1986. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Piano Classics PCL0098. 2015. Sun Hee You, pianist.

Quartz QTZ2139. 2022. Yuki Negishi, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00143. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 40: Eight Concert Études (1985)

ABC Classics ABC4816463. 2017. Tatiana Kolesova, pianist. (No. 7 only.)
Ad Vitam Records AV260115D. 2026. Tristan Pfaff, pianist. (No. 3 only.)
Ars Produktion ARS38151. 2014. Mario Häring, pianist (Nos 1-3 and 5 only.)
Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist. (Nos. 3 and 6 only.)
Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Nos. 1-2, and 7-8 only, arranged for jazz trio.)
Da Vinci Classics C01051. Ayano Kamei, pianist. (No. 1 only.)
Deutsche Grammophon 483 627-0. 2018. Yuja Wang, pianist. (No. 3 only.)
Deutsche Grammophon 486 743-7. 2025. Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist.
Divine Art DDX21130. 2025. Ophelia Gordon, pianist.
First Hand FHR168. 2026. Adam Golka, pianist. (Nos. 7-8 only.)
Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Melodiya С60 23759 008. 1986. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Navona Records NV6503. 2023. Allison Brewster Franzetti, pianist. (Nos. 1 and 8 only.)
Naxos 8.570532. 2008. John Salmon, pianist. (Nos. 5-7 only.)
Naxos 8.572272. 2011. Catherine Gordeladze, pianist.
Non Profit Music NPM1011. 2010. Daniel Del Pino, pianist.
Onyx 4222. 2021. Yeol Eum Son, pianist.
Orchid Classics ORC100367. 2025. Maiko Mori, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist. (Nos. 1-3, and 6-8 only.)
Piano Classics PCL0098. 2015. Sun Hee You, pianist. (Nos. 1 and 7 only.)
Russian Compact Disc RCD13049. 2022. Nikolai Petrov, pianist. (No. 7 only.)
Solfa Recordings SR1404100. 2015. Cristina Casale, pianist. (No. 1 only.)
SOMM SOMMCD0724. 2026. Nikolay Medvedev, pianist. (Nos. 1-2, and 6-8 only.)
Sony 19075875102. 2018. Roman Rofalski, pianist. (No. 1 only.)
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Ni Fan, vibraphonist. (Arrangements of Nos. 5 and 8 by C. Rauh for cello and vibraphone.)
Wergo WER74052. 2022. A Bu, pianist.
Willowhayne Records WHR039. 2016. Yasmin Rowe, pianist. (No. 6 only.)

Op. 41: Variations (1984)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Centaur CRC3636. 2022. Martin Kesuma, pianist.
Challenge Classics CC72804. 2019. Marie François, pianist.
Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Melodiya С60 28239 000. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
MSR Classics MS1559. 2015. Reed Tetzloff, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Odradek Records ODRCD356. 2017. Yu Mi Lee, pianist.
Onyx 4222. 2021. Yeol Eum Son, pianist.
Paraty 314124. 2014. Fanny Azzuro, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0098. 2015. Sun Hee You, pianist.
Solo Musica SM324. 2019. Anna Kavalerova, pianist.
SOMM SOMMCD0724. 2026. Nikolay Medvedev, pianist.
Wergo WER74052. 2022. A Bu, pianist.

Op. 45: Motive Force for Piano (1985)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Melodiya С60 28239 000. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 46: Big Band Sound(s) for Piano (1986)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Divine Art DDX21130. 2025. Ophelia Gordon, pianist.
Melodiya С60 28239 000. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 47: Contemplation (Meditation) for Piano (1987)

Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist.
Divine Art DDX21130. 2025. Ophelia Gordon, pianist.
Melodiya С60 28239 000. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Navona Records NV6503. 2023. Allison Brewster Franzetti, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 49: Sinfonietta (1986)

Capriccio C5495. 2023. Frank Dupree and Adrian Brendle, pianists. (For piano four hands.)
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5030. 2010. Masahiro and Yukari Kawakami, pianists. (For piano four hands.)

Op. 50: Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (1987)

Albany TROY1861. 2021. Michael Pendowski, alto saxophonist. Jeremy Samolesky, pianist. (Arranged for alto saxophone and piano.)

Op. 53: 24 Preludes in Jazz Style (1988)

Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist. (Nos. 4-5 and 9 only.)
Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Nos. 1, 3-4, 6-9, 11, 13, 15, 19, and 23 only, arranged for jazz trio.)
Cedille CDR 90000 149. 2014. Kuang-Hao Huang, pianist. (Nos. 4, 18-19, and 23 only.)
Deutsche Grammophon 486 456-7. 2024. Yuja Wang, pianist. (Nos. 10-11 only.)
Divine Art DDX21130. 2025. Ophelia Gordon, pianist. (Nos. 4-5, 11, 16-19, and 23 only.)
Hänssler Classic HC22083. 2023. Dora Deliyska, pianist. (Nos. 6 and 11-12 only.)
Hyperion CDA67159. 2000. Steven Osborne, pianist. (Nos. 3, 5, 7, 9-13, 15, 17-19, and 23 only.)
Melodiya С60 28999 007. 1989. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Naxos 8.570532. 2008. John Salmon, pianist. (Nos. 11-13, and 17-18 only.)
Naxos 8.572272. 2011. Catherine Gordeladze, pianist.
Sony 19075875102. 2018. Roman Rofalski, pianist. (Nos. 2 and 16 only.)
Willowhayne Records WHR041. 2017. Dominic John, pianist. (No. 19 only.)
YBT 0002. 2015. Aveline Gram, pianist. (Nos. 11-12 only.)

Op. 54: Piano Sonata No. 2 (1989)

Hyperion CDA67159. 2000. Steven Osborne, pianist.
Hyperion CDA67656. 2008. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Naxos 8.570532. 2008. John Salmon, pianist. (Movement II only.)
Onyx 4222. 2021. Yeol Eum Son, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist.
Russian Compact Disc RCD13049. 2022. Nikolai Petrov, pianist. (Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga MKM 157. 2004.)
SOMM SOMMCD0724. 2026. Nikolay Medvedev, pianist.
Sony 19075875102. 2018. Roman Rofalski, pianist.
Triton DICC-26073. 2001. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 56: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 4 (1989)

Capriccio C5437. 2021. Frank Dupree, pianist. Case Scaglione, conductor. Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn.

Op. 57: Chamber Symphony (1990)

Capriccio C5437. 2021. Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn.

Op. 58: Andante for Piano (1990)

Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga MK 417051. 1992. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist.

Op. 59: 10 Bagatelles (1991)

Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist. (No. 9 only.)
Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga MK 417051. 1992. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Naxos 8.570532. 2008. John Salmon, pianist. (Nos. 2, 5, and 8 only.)
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0098. 2015. Sun Hee You, pianist. (Nos. 6 and 9 only.)

Op. 60: Piano Sonata No. 4 (1991)

Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga MK 417051. 1992. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 61: Piano Sonata No. 5 (1991)

Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga MK 417051. 1992. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 62: Piano Sonata No. 6 (1991)

Ars Produktion ARS38542. 2017. Hanna Shybayeva, pianist.
Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga MK 417051. 1992. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 63: Cello Sonata No. 1 (1991)

Brilliant Classics 95560. 2017. Duo Perfetto.
Classical Records CR-126. 2008. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 64: Piano Sonata No. 7 (1991)

Piano Classics PCL0098. 2015. Sun Hee You, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00017. 2004. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 65: Berceuse for Piano (1991)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. (Same as Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003?)

Op. 66: Three Impromptus for Piano (1991)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016. 2009. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. (No. 2 only.)
Triton OVCT-00017. 2004. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 67: Three Etudes for Piano (1992)

Triton OVCT-00017. 2004. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 68: Five Études in Different Intervals (1992)

BIS-2004. 2015. Clare Hammond, pianist.
Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00176. 2020. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 69: Viola Sonata (1992)

Sono Luminus DSL-92186. 2015. Eliesha Nelson, violist. James Howsmon, pianist.

Op. 70: Violin Sonata (1992)

Linn CKD664. 2021. Roberts Balanas, violinist. Siqian Li, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5030. 2010. Hayato Takenaka, violinist. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 71: Capriccio for Piano (1992)

Antes Edition BM319306. 2020. Catherine Cordeladze, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00163. 2019. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 72: Concerto No. 5 for Piano and Orchestra (1993)

Capriccio C5495. 2023. Frank Dupree, pianist. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.
Triton OVCT-00163. 2019. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. Norichika Iimori, conductor. Japan Century Symphony Orchestra.

Op. 73: 10 Inventions for Piano (1993)

Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist. (No. 9 only.)
Triton OVCT-00163. 2019. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 74: Concerto No. 6 for Piano and Big Band (1993)

Capriccio C5528. 2024. Frank Dupree, pianist. Jakob Krupp, bassist. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Dominik Beykirch, conductor. SWR Big Band. SWR Symphonieorchester.

Op. 75: Humoresque for Piano (1994)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 77: Piano Sonata No. 8 (1995)

Elettroformati 3615935856805. 2018. Carlo Levi Minzi, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00176. 2020. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 78: Piano Sonata No. 9 (1995)

Triton OVCT-00176. 2020. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 79: Intrada and Finale for Sextet (1995)

Triton OVCT-00163. 2019. Akane Otsuka, flutist. Naoki Yoshikawa, oboist. Takefumi Kikuchi, violist. Yoji Sato, contrabassist. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. Ryotaro Shigemoto, drummer.

Op. 81: Piano Sonata No. 10 (1996)

Elettroformati 3615935856805. 2018. Carlo Levi Minzi, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00143. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 82: 24 Preludes and Fugues (1997)

Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist. (No. 22 only.)

Op. 84: Cello Sonata No. 2 (1997)

Brilliant Classics 95560. 2017. Duo Perfetto.
Classical Records CR-126. 2008. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Genuin GEN89150. 2010. Eckart Runge, cellist. Jacques Ammon, pianist.
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Benyamin Nuss, pianist.

Op. 85: Cello Concerto No. 1 (1997)

Capriccio C5362. 2020. Eckart Runge, cellist. Frank Strobel, conductor. Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

Op. 86: Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1998)

Ars Produktion ARS38097. 2011. Trio Panta Rhei.
Ars Produktion ARS38641. 2023. Tetrapod Ensemble.
Ars Produktion ARS38644. 2024. Trio Revolution.
Champs Hill Records CHRCD023. 2011. Emanuel Ensemble.
Decca 487 719-1. 2024. Cocomi, flutist. Haruma Sato, cellist. Atsushi Yamanaka, pianist.
IBS Classical IBS22019. 2019. Joan Enric Lluna, clarinetist. Salvador Bolón, cellist. Juan Carlos Garvayo, pianist. (Arranged for clarinet, cello, and piano.)
Naxos 8.579024. 2019. Immanuel Davis, flutist. Pitnarry Shin, cellist. Timothy Lovelace, pianist.
Non Profit Music NPM1405. 2014. Trío Arbós. (Version for Piano Trio.)
Triton DICC-26067. 2001. Alexander Korneev, flutist. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 88: String Quartet (1998)

Capriccio C5369. 2020. Clair-Obscur Saxophone Quartet. (Arranged by Christoph Enzel for saxophone quartet. Designated as Op. 88a.)
Triton DICC-26067. 2001. Vladimir Spektor and Alexander Chernov, violinists. Svetlana Stepchenko, violist. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist.

Op. 89: Piano Quintet (1998)

Capriccio C5369. 2020. Elisaveta Blumina, pianist. Clair-Obscur Saxophone Quartet. (Arranged by Christoph Enzel for piano and saxophone quartet. Designated as Op. 89a.)
Triton DICC-26067. 2001. Vladimir Spektor and Alexander Chernov, violinists. Svetlana Stepchenko, violist. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 91: Divertissement for Two Flutes, Cello, and Piano (1998)

Naxos 8.579024. 2019. Immanuel Davis and Adam Kuenzel, flutists. Pitnarry Shin, cellist. Timothy Lovelace, pianist.
Triton DICC-26067. 2001. Alexander Korneev and Marina Rubinstein, flutists. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 92: Suite for Piano (1999)

Triton OVCT-00176. 2020. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 93: Introduction and Scherzino for Cello Solo (1999)

Triton DICC-26073. 2001. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist.

Op. 96: Elegy for Cello and Piano (1999)

Ars Produktion ARS38597. 2022. Konstantin Manaev, cellist. Danae Dörken, pianist.
Brilliant Classics 95560. 2017. Duo Perfetto.
Dreyer Gaido DGCD21136. 2021. Oliver Mascarenhas, cellist. Johannes Nies, pianist.
Genuin GEN89150. 2010. Eckart Runge, cellist. Jacques Ammon, pianist.
Solo Musica SM416. 2022. Kirill Timofeev, cellist. Evgeny Sinaiski, pianist.
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Benyamin Nuss, pianist.
Willowhayne Records WHR047. 2017. Yelian He, cellist. Yasmin Rose, pianist.

Op. 97: Burlesque for Cello and Piano (1999)

Ars Produktion ARS38597. 2022. Konstantin Manaev, cellist. Danae Dörken, pianist.
Art Infini MECO1019. 2020. Nobuo Furukawa, cellist. Toshiya Shioiri, pianist. (Arranged by Toshiya Shiori.)
Berlin Classics 885470027098. 2022. Eckart Runge, cellist. Jacques Ammon, pianist.
Brilliant Classics 95560. 2017. Duo Perfetto.
Dreyer Gaido DGCD21136. 2021. Oliver Mascarenhas, cellist. Johannes Nies, pianist.
Genuin GEN89150. 2010. Eckart Runge, cellist. Jacques Ammon, pianist.
Solo Musica SM416. 2022. Kirill Timofeev, cellist. Evgeny Sinaiski, pianist.
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Benyamin Nuss, pianist.
Willowhayne Records WHR047. 2017. Yelian He, cellist. Yasmin Rose, pianist.

Op. 98: Nearly Waltz for Cello and Piano (1999)

Ars Produktion ARS38597. 2022. Konstantin Manaev, cellist. Danae Dörken, pianist.
Art Infini MECO-1089. 2026. Yoshika Masuda, cellist. Koki Kuroiwa, pianist.
Brilliant Classics 95560. 2017. Duo Perfetto.
Dreyer Gaido DGCD21136. 2021. Oliver Mascarenhas, cellist. Johannes Nies, pianist.
Genuin GEN89150. 2010. Eckart Runge, cellist. Jacques Ammon, pianist.
Solo Musica SM416. 2022. Kirill Timofeev, cellist. Evgeny Sinaiski, pianist.
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Benyamin Nuss, pianist.
Willowhayne Records WHR047. 2017. Yelian He, cellist. Yasmin Rose, pianist.

Op. 99: Duet for Alto Saxophone and Cello (1999)

Capriccio C5369. 2020. Christoph Enzel, alto saxophonist. Peter Bruns, cellist.
Pavlik Records PS 0506-2-131. 2022. Ladislav Fanzowitz, alto saxophonist. Ken-Wassim Ubukata, cellist.
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Peter Lehel, alto saxophonist.
Triton DICC-26073. 2001. Alexei Volkov, alto saxophonist. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist.

Op. 100: Sonatina for Piano (2000)

Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist.
Hyperion CDA67433. 2004. Marc-André Hamelin, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Onyx 4222. 2021. Yeol Eum Son, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. (Same as Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003?)

Op. 101: Piano Sonata No. 11 ("Twickenham") (2000)

Elettroformati 3615935856805. 2018. Carlo Levi Minzi, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016. 2009. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. (Same as Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016?)

Op. 102: Piano Sonata No. 12, Op. 102 (2001)

Elettroformati 3615935856805. 2018. Carlo Levi Minzi, pianist.

Op. 103: Concerto for Cello and Strings No. 2 (2002)

Melodiya MELCD1002483. 2016. Alexander Zagorinsky, cellist. Alexander Loskutov, conductor. Chamber Orchestra of the Vologda Philharmonic Society.
SWR Music SWR19002CD. 2016. Christine Rauh, cellist. Nicholas Collon, conductor. Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern.

Op. 104: Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion (2002)

Capriccio C5495. 2023. Frank Dupree and Adrian Brendle, pianists. Meinhard 'Obi' Jenne, drummer. Franz Bach, percussionist.
Non Profit Music NPM1011. 2010. Ludmil Angelov and Daniel Del Pino, pianists. Neopercusión.

Op. 105: Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Orchestra (2002)

Capriccio C5437. 2021. Rosanne Philippens, violinist. Frank Dupree, pianist. Case Scaglione, conductor. Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn.

Op. 108: Paraphrase on the Theme of Paul Dvoirin for Piano (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist. (Same as Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5002?)

Op. 110: Piano Sonata No. 13 (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016. 2009. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 111: Gingerbread Man for Piano (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 112: (The) End of the Rainbow for Piano (2003)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 113: Wheel of Fortune for Piano (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016. 2009. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 114: No Stop Signs for Piano (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016. 2009. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 115: Fantasia for Piano (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 117: Spice Island for Piano (2003)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 118: Paraphrase on 'Aquarela do Brasil' by Ary Barroso for Piano (2003)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Divine Art DDX21130. 2025. Ophelia Gordon, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5003. 2005. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.
Piano Classics PCL0082. 2015. Sukyeon Kim, pianist.

Op. 120: Piano Sonata No. 14 (2004)

Non Profit Music NPM1011. 2010. Ludmil Angelov and Daniel Del Pino, pianists. (Version for two pianos?)

Op. 121: Vanity of Vanities for Piano (2004)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 122: Two Etude-Like Trinkets for Piano (2004)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 123: Paraphrase on 'Blue Bossa' by Kenny Dorham for Piano (2004)

Capriccio C5439. 2022. Frank Dupree Trio. (Arranged for jazz trio.)
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 125: Flute Sonata (2004)

Cantilena Records 101. 2025. Laurel Zucker, flutist. Gabriel Sanchez, pianist.
Naxos 8.579024. 2019. Immanuel Davis, flutist. Timothy Lovelace, pianist.
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5030. 2010. Akane Otsuka, flutist. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 126: Divertissement in Four Movements for Piano Trio (2005)

Avi Music 8553277. 2013. Beethoven Trio Bonn.
Non Profit Music NPM1405. 2014. Trío Arbós.

Op. 127: Piano Sonata No. 15 ("Fantasia quasi Sonata") (2005)

Naxos 8.570532. 2008. John Salmon, pianist.

Op. 128: Introduction and Rondo for Piano (2006)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5016. 2009. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 129: Paraphrase on Dizzy Gillespie's 'Manteca' for Two Pianos/Four Hands (2006)

Divine Art DDX21130. 2025. Ophelia Gordon, pianist. (Version for solo piano?)
Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5030. 2010. Masahiro and Yukari Kawakami, pianists.
Non Profit Music NPM1011. 2010. Ludmil Angelov and Daniel Del Pino, pianists.

Op. 130: Countermove for Piano (2006)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 131: Piano Sonata No. 16 (2006)

Nippon Acoustic Records NARD-5014. 2008. Nikolai Kapustin, pianist.

Op. 133: Six Little Preludes for Piano (2007)

Triton OVCT-00143. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 137: Good Intention for Piano (2009)

Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 138: Sleight of Hand for Piano (2009)

Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 142: Piano Trio No. 2 (2010)

Non Profit Music NPM1405. 2014. Trío Arbós.

Op. 143: Piano Sonata No. 19 (2011)

Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 145: Tea for Two for Two Pianos/Four Hands (2012)

Genuin GEN25933d. 2025. Fedorova & Takser Piano Duo.

Op. 152: A Pianist in Jeopardy for Piano (2013)

Triton OVCT-00153. 2018. Masahiro Kawakami, pianist.

Op. 156: A Little Duo for Flute and Cello (2014)

Naxos 8.579024. 2019. Immanuel Davis, flutist. Käthe Jarka, cellist.

Op. 161: Moon Rainbow for Piano (2016)

Berlin Classics 0301407BC. 2020. Luisa Imorde, pianist.
Onyx 4222. 2021. Yeol Eum Son, pianist.

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Scarlatti on the Piano: A Playlist

In a recent review, I remarked that we are "still living in the Wild West" of Domenico Scarlatti sonata recordings. One doesn't really get a sense of this until confronted with the task of making a playlist that includes all 555 works in the cycle. The impression only deepens when limiting oneself to piano (or pianoforte) performances. True, some sonatas have plenty of recordings featuring piano, especially favorites like K. 96 and K. 380. But, again as I quipped in that review, the body of Scarlatti's sonatas is a bit like the ocean: large parts of it are infrequently traversed. For selection after selection what one sees is a very limited choice featuring almost solely the same 1-3 pianists who have recorded whole (or almost whole) cycles, prominently Carlo Grante (on the Music and Arts label) and Christoph Ullrich (on Tacet). Both are fine pianists who consistently offer excellent performances. Then there are many wonderful installments in Naxos's nearly-complete series, featuring multiple pianists. But as I listened to sonata after sonata, it became clear to me that the differences between even these few performers were often very appreciable, and there is a whole lot of room for new interpretations by enterprising artists looking for ideal repertoire. True, a decent number of "big names" (Perahia, Pletnev, Weissenberg, Haskil, Hewitt, and especially Horowitz) have delved into the Scarlatti repertoire with stunning results. But in making this playlist it also became clear that their traversals have been quite limited. If I'm being negative, it's a collective indictment of skilled pianists everywhere that so much remains to be said in music that has been around for hundreds of years and consistently delights when it's tried.

For this playlist, my selection criteria were simple: I tried to balance variety, availability, and (let's face it) my own taste. I soon tired of repetitive choices between Grante, Ullrich, and whichever Naxos performer happened to be at hand. (This is no fault of theirs!) I also tried to include as many Big Name performances as possible without simply picking them automatically. There are a fair number of self-published options available via Spotify and Apple Music, and I generally avoided these...especially since many sounded MIDI-derived or otherwise undistinguished. With that said, here are the 156 pianists I managed to include in my list:

Alice Ader

Eteri Andjaparidze

Igor Ardašev

Martha Argerich

Racha Arodaky
Julius Asal

Emilio Aversano

Sergei Babayan

Andrea Bacchetti
MinJung Baek

Prisca Benoit

Daria van den Bercken

Kiki Bernasconi

Giulio Biddau

Sari Biro

Sveinung Bjelland

Virginia Black

Anthony di Bonaventura

Véronique Bonnecaze

Jeanne Bovet

Katia Braunschweiler

James Brawn

John Browning
Michelangelo Carbonara
Robert Casadesus

Gianluca Cascioli

Olivier Cavé

Vadim Chaimovich

Hae Won Chang

Pi-hsien Chen

Xueyuan Chen

Aldo Ciccolini
Maria Clementi

Federico Colli

Bice Horszowski Costa
Martin Cousin

György Cziffra

Lucas Debargue

Alessandro Deljavan

Nikolai Demidenko

Ece Demirci

Alberto Ferro

Terezie Fialová

Goran Filipec
Leon Fleisher

Homero Francesch

Benjamin Frith

Marco Fumo

Sergio Gallo

Mathieu Gaudet

Walter Gieseking

Emil Gilels

Alon Goldstein

Glenn Gould
Carlo Grante

Giuseppe Greco

David Greilsammer

Maria Grinberg

Duanduan Hao
Clara Haskil
Myra Hess

Angela Hewitt

Wataru Hisasue
Vladimir Horowitz

Chu-Fang Huang

Claire Huangci

Emanuil Ivanov

Jenő Jandó

Ivo Kahanek

Sang Woo Kang

Peter Katin

Sean Kennard

Eylam Keshet

Karel Kosarek

Käbi Laretei
Alicia de Larrocha

Dejan Lazić

Joanna Leach

Colleen Lee

Soyeon Kate Lee

Gabriele Leporatti

Michael Lewin

Carlo Lombardi
Beatrice Long

Kathleen Long

Andrea Lucchesini

John McCabe

Eri Mantani

Giovanni Mazzocchin

Barbara Meister

Charles Metz

Marcelle Meyer

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

Gabriele Micheli

Nina Milkina

Andrea Molteni

Sergio Monteiro

Jurica Murai

Varvara Myagkova

Riccardo Natale

Francesco Nicolosi

Jacques Ogg

Pascal Pascaleff

Jaroslava Vernerová Pěchočová

Murray Perahia

Javier Perianes

Nikolai Petrov

Enrico Pieranunzi
Mikhail Pletnev

Georges Pludermacher

Ivo Pogorelich

Marianna Prjevalskaya

Anne Queffélec

Marcela Roggeri

Sonia Rubinsky

Simone Sammicheli

Fazil Say

Konstantin Scherbakov
András Schiff

Barbora Krištofová Sejáková

Miroslav Sekera

Mordecai Shehori

Adam Skoumal

Inger Södergren

Mario Sollazzo

Vojtěch Spurný

Victor Stanislavsky

Tamara Stefanovich

Bohumil Stehlík

Aniele Steininger

Gerda Struhal

Yevgeny Sudbin

Balázs Szokolay

Alexandre Tharaud

Maria Tipo

Dubravka Tomšič

Margherita Torretta

Fou Ts'ong
Christoph Ullrich

Alberto Urroz

Bruno Vlahek

Lev Vlasenko

Gottlieb Wallisch

Maria Walzer

Yuja Wang

Orion Weiss
Alexis Weissenberg

Daniel Wiesner

Jae-Yeon Won

Zhu Xiao-Mei

Artem Yasynskyy

Maurizio Zaccaria

Christian Zacharias

Evgeny Zarafiants

Carlo Zecchi

Aline Zylberajch

And here is the playlist:

K. 1 in D Minor: Pletnev
K. 2 in G: Haskil
K. 3 in A Minor: Pletnev
K. 4 in G Minor: B. Long
K. 5 in D Minor: Horowitz
K. 6 in F: Haskil
K. 7 in A Minor: Clementi
K. 8 in G Minor: Pletnev
K. 9 in D Minor: Szokolay
K. 10 in D Minor: de Larrocha
K. 11 in C Minor: Szokolay
K. 12 in G Minor: Sudbin
K. 13 in G: Stefanovich
K. 14 in G: Hess
K. 15 in E Minor: Ullrich
K. 16 in B-Flat: Cousin
K. 17 in F: Schiff

K. 18 in D Minor: Grante

K. 19 in F Minor: Tomšič

K. 20 in E: Tipo
K. 21 in D: Sammicheli
K. 22 in C Minor: Grinberg
K. 23 in D: Casadesus
K. 24 in A: Pletnev
K. 25 in F-Sharp Minor: Horowitz
K. 26 in A: Frith
K. 27 in B Minor: Perahia
K. 28 in E: de Larrocha
K. 29 in D: Perahia
K. 30 in G Minor: Meyer
K. 31 in G Minor: Huangci
K. 32 in D Minor: Meyer
K. 33 in D: Horowitz
K. 34 in D Minor: Grante
K. 35 in G Minor: Haskil
K. 36 in A Minor: Gallo
K. 37 in C Minor: Frith
K. 38 in F: Ullrich
K. 39 in A: Horowitz
K. 40 in C Minor: Won

K. 41 in D Minor: C. Lee
K. 42 in B-Flat: Baek
K. 43 in G Minor: McCabe
K. 44 in F: Bjelland
K. 45 in D: Browning
K. 46 in E: Wiesner
K. 47 in B-Flat: Demirci
K. 48 in C Minor: Gallo
K. 49 in C: Zylberajch
K. 50 in F Minor: Carbonara
K. 51 in E-Flat: Pieranunzi

K. 52 in D Minor: Horowitz
K. 53 in D: Sammicheli
K. 54 in A Minor: Horowitz
K. 55 in G: Roggeri
K. 56 in C Minor: Sudbin
K. 57 in B-Flat: Ivanov
K. 58 in C Minor: Asal
K. 59 in A Minor: Gallo

K. 60 in G Minor: S.K. Lee
K. 61 in A Minor: Spurný
K. 62 in A: K. Long
K. 63 in G: Hewitt
K. 64 in D Minor: Tharaud
K. 65 in A: C.F. Huang
K. 66 in B-Flat: Grante
K. 67 in F-Sharp Minor: Molteni
K. 68 in E-Flat: S.W. Kang
K. 69 in F Minor: Hewitt
K. 70 in B-Flat: Stehlík

K. 71 in G: Ullrich
K. 72 in C: Tharaud
K. 73 in C Minor: Ts'ong
K. 74 in A: C. Lee
K. 75 in G: Cousin
K. 76 in G Minor: Huangci
K. 77 in D Minor: Pludermacher
K. 78 in F: Mantani
K. 79 in G: Tipo
K. 80 in G: S.W. Kang
K. 81 in E Minor: Shehori
K. 82 in F: Lazić

K. 83 in A: Ader
K. 84 in C Minor: Katin
K. 85 in F: Ivanov
K. 86 in C: Gallo

K. 87 in B Minor: Hewitt
K. 88 in G Minor: Gallo
K. 89 in D Minor: S.W. Kang
K. 90 in D Minor: Grante
K. 91 in G: S.K. Lee
K. 92 in D Minor: Ullrich

K. 93 in G Minor: Deljavan
K. 94 in F: Skoumal
K. 95 in C: Colli
K. 96 in D: Horowitz
K. 97 in G Minor: Urroz

K. 98 in E Minor: Pogorelich

K. 99 in C Minor: Zaccaria
K. 100 in C: Ullrich
K. 101 in A: Cziffra

K. 102 in G Minor: Hao
K. 103 in G: Queffélec
K. 104 in G: Shehori

K. 105 in G: Debargue
K. 106 in F: Browning
K. 107 in F: Weissenberg

K. 108 in G Minor: Clementi
K. 109 in A Minor: Weissenberg

K. 110 in A Minor: S.K. Lee

K. 111 in G Minor: Grante

K. 112 in B-Flat: Zarafiants
K. 113 in A: Pletnev
K. 114 in A: Meyer
K. 115 in C Minor: Schiff

K. 116 in C Minor: Schiff
K. 117 in C: Ivanov
K. 118 in D: Francesch
K. 119 in D: Cascioli
K. 120 in D Minor: Goldstein
K. 121 in G Minor: Baek

K. 122 in D: Cousin
K. 123 in E-Flat: H.W. Chang
K. 124 in G: Zacharias
K. 125 in G: Perianes
K. 126 in C Minor: Jandó
K. 127 in A-Flat: Hisasue
K. 128 in B-Flat Minor: Perianes
K. 129 in C Minor: S.K. Lee

K. 130 in A-Flat: Deljavan

K. 131 in B-Flat Minor: Molteni
K. 132 in C: Tipo

K. 133 in C: McCabe
K. 134 in E: C. Lee

K. 135 in E: Walzer
K. 136 in E: C. Lee

K. 137 in D: Ivanov
K. 138 in D Minor: Molteni

K. 139 in C Minor: X. Chen
K. 140 in D: Hewitt
K. 141 in D Minor: Argerich
K. 142 in F-Sharp Minor: Z. Xiao-Mei
K. 143 in C: S.K. Lee
K. 144 in G: Ader
K. 145 in D: Browning
K. 146 in G: Szokolay

K. 147 in E Minor: Queffélec
K. 148 in A Minor: Wallisch
K. 149 in A Minor: Vlasenko
K. 150 in F: Ivanov
K. 151 in F: Ts'ong
K. 152 in G: Gallo
K. 153 in G: Grante
K. 154 in B-Flat: Keshet
K. 155 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 156 in C: Zaccaria
K. 157 in C: Gallo
K. 158 in C Minor: Stefanovich
K. 159 in C: Michelangeli
K. 160 in D: C.F. Huang
K. 161 in D: Browning

K. 162 in E: Horowitz
K. 163 in E: Ts'ong
K. 164 in D: Ts'ong
K. 165 in C: Gallo
K. 166 in C: Ullrich
K. 167 in F: Pascaleff
K. 168 in F: Sammicheli
K. 169 in G: Meister
K. 170 in C: Sollazzo

K. 171 in G: Hao
K. 172 in B-Flat: Debargue
K. 173 in B Minor: Pletnev
K. 174 in C Minor: Bacchetti

K. 175 in A Minor: Schiff
K. 176 in D Minor: Bacchetti
K. 177 in D: Weiss
K. 178 in D: Natale
K. 179 in G Minor: Ullrich

K. 180 in G: H.W. Chang

K. 181 in A: S. Lee

K. 182 in A: Deljavan
K. 183 in F Minor: van den Bercken

K. 184 in F Minor: Horowitz
K. 185 in F Minor: Perianes
K. 186 in F Minor: Grante
K. 187 in F Minor: Zaccaria
K. 188 in A Minor: Clementi
K. 189 in B-Flat: Gallo
K. 190 in B-Flat: Milkina
K. 191 in D Minor: S.W. Kang
K. 192 in E-Flat: Debargue
K. 193 in E-Flat: Perianes
K. 194 in F: Sejáková

K. 195 in F: Cousin
K. 196 in G Minor: Debargue
K. 197 in B Minor: Horowitz

K. 198 in E Minor: Horowitz
K. 199 in C: Hao
K. 200 in C: Braunschweiler

K. 201 in G: Horowitz
K. 202 in B-Flat: Zacharias
K. 203 in E Minor: Urroz
K. 204 in F Minor: Keshet
K. 205 in F: Carbonara
K. 206 in E: Perahia
K. 207 in E: Ullrich
K. 208 in A: Schiff
K. 209 in A: Schiff
K. 210 in G: Ts'ong

K. 211 in A: Debargue
K. 212 in A: Perahia
K. 213 in D Minor: Pletnev
K. 214 in D: Pletnev
K. 215 in E: P. Chen
K. 216 in E: di Bonaventura
K. 217 in A Minor: Micheli

K. 218 in A Minor: Cousin
K. 219 in A: Carbonara
K. 220 in A: Weiss

K. 221 in A: Ullrich
K. 222 in A: Zaccaria
K. 223 in D: Ivanov
K. 224 in D: Wallisch
K. 225 in C: Rubinsky
K. 226 in C Minor: P. Chen
K. 227 in B Minor: Frith
K. 228 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 229 in B-Flat: Hao
K. 230 in C Minor: van den Bercken
K. 231 in C: Hao
K. 232 in E Minor: Bonnecaze
K. 233 in E Minor: Weissenberg
K. 234 in G Minor: Colli
K. 235 in G: K. Long
K. 236 in D: Ivanov
K. 237 in D: Cousin
K. 238 in F Minor: Asal
K. 239 in F Minor: Mazzocchin
K. 240 in G: Ullrich
K. 241 in G: Ferro
K. 242 in C: Debargue

K. 243 in C: Pascaleff
K. 244 in B: Leporatti
K. 245 in B: Mantani
K. 246 in C-Sharp Minor: Sudbin
K. 247 in C-Sharp Minor: Perahia

K. 248 in B-Flat: Keshet
K. 249 in B-Flat: Ivanov
K. 250 in C: Grante
K. 251 in C: Ullrich
K. 252 in E-Flat: Pascaleff
K. 253 in E-Flat: Won
K. 254 in C Minor: Sekera

K. 255 in C: Won
K. 256 in F: Ts'ong
K. 257 in F: Struhal
K. 258 in D: Debargue
K. 259 in G: Tomšič

K. 260 in G: Horowitz
K. 261 in B: Jandó

K. 262 in B: Molteni
K. 263 in E Minor: Perianes
K. 264 in E: Zaccaria
K. 265 in A Minor: Weiss
K. 266 in B-Flat: Ardašev

K. 267 in B-Flat: Keshet
K. 268 in A: Steininger

K. 269 in A: Hao
K. 270 in C: Carbonara
K. 271 in C: Grante
K. 272 in B-Flat: Cousin
K. 273 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 274 in F: Bovet
K. 275 in F: Ivanov
K. 276 in F: Kosarek
K. 277 in D: Nicolosi
K. 278 in D: Södergren

K. 279 in A: Queffélec

K. 280 in A: Ullrich
K. 281 in D: Sejáková

K. 282 in D: Zylberajch
K. 283 in G: Pletnev
K. 284 in G: Pletnev
K. 285 in A: Baek
K. 286 in A: Filipec
K. 287 in D: Cousin
K. 288 in D: Spurný

K. 289 in G: Monteiro

K. 290 in G: S.K. Lee
K. 291 in E Minor: Brawn
K. 292 in E Minor: Aversano

K. 293 in B Minor: Baek
K. 294 in D Minor: Torretta
K. 295 in D Minor: Grante
K. 296 in F: Huangci
K. 297 in F: Ullrich
K. 298 in D: Grante
K. 299 in D: Murai
K. 300 in A: Costa
K. 301 in A: Yasynskyy

K. 302 in C Minor: Debargue
K. 303 in C Minor: Horowitz
K. 304 in G: Ts'ong
K. 305 in G: Ullrich
K. 306 in E-Flat: Ullrich

K. 307 in E-Flat: Pascaleff
K. 308 in C: Debargue
K. 309 in C: Struhal
K. 310 in B-Flat: Monteiro
K. 311 in B-Flat: Kennard
K. 312 in D: Carbonara
K. 313 in D: Scherbakov
K. 314 in G: Ullrich
K. 315 in G Minor: Fialová

K. 316 in F: Vlahek
K. 317 in F: Grante
K. 318 in F-Sharp: Bjelland
K. 319 in F-Sharp: Horowitz
K. 320 in A: Pěchočová
K. 321 in A: Keshet
K. 322 in A: Haskil
K. 323 in A: Mantani
K. 324 in G: Goldstein
K. 325 in G: Greco
K. 326 in C: Weiss
K. 327 in C: Browning
K. 328 in G: Ullrich

K. 329 in C: Ullrich
K. 330 in C: Struhal
K. 331 in B-Flat: Monteiro
K. 332 in B-Flat: Cousin
K. 333 in D: Vlahek
K. 334 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 335 in D: Ullrich
K. 336 in D: Hao

K. 337 in G: Hao
K. 338 in G: Greco
K. 339 in C: Grante
K. 340 in C: Sammicheli
K. 341 in A Minor: Monteiro
K. 342 in A: Lucchesini
K. 343 in A: Debargue
K. 344 in A: Nicolosi
K. 345 in D: Cousin
K. 346 in D: Yasynskyy
K. 347 in G Minor: Shehori
K. 348 in G: Wallisch

K. 349 in F: Monteiro
K. 350 in F: Ullrich
K. 351 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 352 in D: Keshet
K. 353 in D: Greco

K. 354 in F: Monteiro
K. 355 in F: Kennard
K. 356 in C: Gieseking
K. 357 in C: Grante
K. 358 in D: Yasynskyy
K. 359 in D: Filipec
K. 360 in B-Flat: Scherbakov
K. 361 in B-Flat: Zaccaria

K. 362 in C Minor: Shehori
K. 363 in C Minor: Shehori
K. 364 in F Minor: Shehori
K. 365 in F Minor: Prjevalskya
K. 366 in F: Biro
K. 367 in F: Shehori
K. 368 in A: Struhal
K. 369 in A: Mazzocchin
K. 370 in E-Flat: Cousin
K. 371 in E-Flat: Bonnecaze
K. 372 in G: Kennard
K. 373 in G Minor: Sudbin
K. 374 in G: Sejáková
K. 375 in G: Monteiro
K. 376 in B Minor: Ogg
K. 377 in B Minor: Demidenko
K. 378 in F: Say

K. 379 in F: Ts'ong
K. 380 in E: Fleisher
K. 381 in E: Zacharias
K. 382 in A Minor: Fumo
K. 383 in A Minor: Goldstein
K. 384 in C: Zacharias
K. 385 in C: Ullrich
K. 386 in F Minor: Perianes
K. 387 in F Minor: Biddau
K. 388 in D: Wiesner
K. 389 in D: Zaccaria
K. 390 in G: Hao

K. 391 in G: Browning
K. 392 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 393 in B-Flat: Cousin
K. 394 in E Minor: Schiff
K. 395 in E: Schiff
K. 396 in D Minor: Colli
K. 397 in D: Huangci
K. 398 in C: Shehori
K. 399 in C: Greco
K. 400 in D: Metz
K. 401 in D: Black
K. 402 in E Minor: Schiff
K. 403 in E: Schiff
K. 404 in A: Pletnev
K. 405 in A: Debargue
K. 406 in C: Ciccolini
K. 407 in C: Monteiro
K. 408 in B Minor: C. Lee
K. 409 in B Minor: Ullrich
K. 410 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 411 in B-Flat: Bonnecaze

K. 412 in G: Zaccaria
K. 413 in G: Yasynskyy
K. 414 in D: Stanislavsky
K. 415 in D: Grante
K. 416 in D: C.F. Huang
K. 417 in D Minor: Sudbin
K. 418 in F: Greco
K. 419 in F: Kahanek
K. 420 in C: Vlasenko
K. 421 in C: Andjaparidze
K. 422 in C: Scherbakov
K. 423 in C: Shehori

K. 424 in G: Ferro

K. 425 in G: Tipo
K. 426 in G Minor: Schiff
K. 427 in G: Schiff
K. 428 in A: Hewitt
K. 429 in A: Södergren
K. 430 in D: Gould
K. 431 in G: Rubinsky
K. 432 in G: Tipo
K. 433 in G: Greco
K. 434 in D Minor: Biddau
K. 435 in D: Mantani
K. 436 in D: Lewin
K. 437 in F: Haskil
K. 438 in F: Leporatti
K. 439 in B-Flat: Weiss
K. 440 in B-Flat: Ferro
K. 441 in B-Flat: Benoit
K. 442 in B-Flat: Filipec
K. 443 in D: Chaimovich
K. 444 in D Minor: Jandó
K. 445 in F: Sammicheli
K. 446 in F: Biro
K. 447 in F-Sharp Minor: Perianes
K. 448 in F-Sharp Minor: Perianes
K. 449 in G: Schiff
K. 450 in G Minor: Pogorelich

K. 451 in A Minor: Myagkova
K. 452 in A: Baek
K. 453 in A: Deljavan
K. 454 in G: Babayan
K. 455 in G: Y. Wang
K. 456 in A: Gaudet
K. 457 in A: Arodaky
K. 458 in D: Hao
K. 459 in D Minor/Major: Grante
K. 460 in C: McCabe
K. 461 in C: Leach
K. 462 in F Minor: Perianes
K. 463 in F Minor: Ferro
K. 464 in C: Skoumal
K. 465 in C: Goldstein
K. 466 in F Minor: Horowitz
K. 467 in F Minor: Hao
K. 468 in F: Debargue

K. 469 in F: Debargue
K. 470 in G: Cavé
K. 471 in G: Katin
K. 472 in B-Flat: Tharaud
K. 473 in B-Flat: Wallisch
K. 474 in E-Flat: Horowitz
K. 475 in E-Flat: Schiff
K. 476 in G Minor: Benoit
K. 477 in G: Debargue
K. 478 in D: Mantani
K. 479 in D: Sudbin
K. 480 in D: Ullrich
K. 481 in F Minor: Horowitz
K. 482 in F: Filipec
K. 483 in F: Ts'ong
K. 484 in D: Ts'ong
K. 485 in C: Greco
K. 486 in C: Filipec
K. 487 in C: Pogorelich
K. 488 in B-Flat: Skoumal
K. 489 in B-Flat: Ullrich
K. 490 in D: Browning
K. 491 in D: Horowitz
K. 492 in D: Torretta
K. 493 in G: Monteiro
K. 494 in G: Frith
K. 495 in E: Tipo
K. 496 in E: S. Lee
K. 497 in B Minor: Carbonara
K. 498 in B Minor: Kahanek
K. 499 in A: Ardašev
K. 500 in A: Ts'ong
K. 501 in C: Pascaleff
K. 502 in C: Zacharias
K. 503 in B-Flat: Monteiro
K. 504 in B-Flat: Grante
K. 505 in F: Ullrich
K. 506 in F: Ullrich
K. 507 in E-Flat: Milkina
K. 508 in E-Flat: Greco
K. 509 in D: Ullrich
K. 510 in D Minor: Shehori
K. 511 in D: van den Bercken
K. 512 in D: Baek
K. 513 in C: Schiff
K. 514 in C: Aversano
K. 515 in C: Petrov
K. 516 in D Minor: Schiff
K. 517 in D Minor: Lombardi
K. 518 in F: Schiff
K. 519 in F Minor: Schiff
K. 520 in G: Pletnev
K. 521 in G: Debargue
K. 522 in G: Monteiro
K. 523 in G: Zecchi
K. 524 in F: Grante
K. 525 in F: Horowitz
K. 526 in C Minor: Debargue
K. 527 in C: di Bonaventura
K. 528 in B-Flat: Kahanek
K. 529 in B-Flat: Pogorelich
K. 530 in E: Yasynskyy
K. 531 in E: Greilsammer
K. 532 in A Minor: Molteni
K. 533 in A: Gilels
K. 534 in D: Debargue
K. 535 in D: Laretei
K. 536 in A: Skoumal
K. 537 in A: Perahia

K. 538 in G: Grante
K. 539 in G: Katin
K. 540 in F: Ts'ong
K. 541 in F: Hao
K. 542 in F: Scherbakov
K. 543 in F: Kennard
K. 544 in B-Flat: Schiff
K. 545 in B-Flat: Schiff
K. 546 in G Minor: Molteni
K. 547 in G: Horowitz

K. 548 in C: Frith
K. 549 in C: Deljavan
K. 550 in B-Flat: B. Long
K. 551 in B-Flat: Bernasconi
K. 552 in D Minor: Weiss
K. 553 in D Minor: Grante
K. 554 in F: Monteiro
K. 555 in F Minor: Sammicheli

Here is the Spotify link to this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vm0KeEUwwGWq76CZgXKkX?si=fMQ5bf-RRSmqqe4pU_aCDg

Feel free to copy this list to mix and match where you feel so moved. But also be careful: plenty of recordings have wrong K. numberings for certain sonatas. Even some of the more famous ones can be mislabeled: Horowitz's K. 54 is often given as K. 59, which is a different sonata. There are several traps for the unwary. If you see any errors here, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

Monday, September 23, 2024

Spotify's Monthly Listeners for Classical Composers

As someone who often thinks about the current state of Western classical music, I wonder very much about listener habits and the exposure different composers and repertoires receive. Methods of measuring these things are numerous, and most seem like they come with their own limitations. For example, what do major orchestras' programming choices really tell us about listener tastes (as opposed to those of conductors and other performers)? What could recording sales reveal, even if such data were findable? Do recording sales even matter anymore, given that we live in the Age of Streaming?

Multiple streaming services do keep statistics on songs and artists. But as of 2021 no such service had a majority share of their market. That said, Spotify comes closest and more than doubles the share enjoyed by its closest competitor, Apple Music. Perusing Spotify's "monthly listeners" numbers for different artists, defined as "how many unique people have listened to the artist's songs within the last 28 days," offers an interesting glimpse into just what classical music their audience spends time listening to. Granted, this data is imperfect, and we don't know who listens to what, why they do, or if some things are disproportionately benefitting from curated and/or algorithmic advantages.

Nonetheless, I have compiled a list of 200 composers (who aren't also major recorded performers of other people's music) and their "monthly listeners" numbers as accessed by me on Spotify during 23 September 2024. Many of these figures will come as little surprise. But occasionally I was struck by composers getting monthly listener numbers that I would not have expected. Another note: this isn't a Top 200 list; it's just a list of 200 composers chosen by me somewhat arbitrarily. So without further ado, here is a nice chunk of names and their statistics (ordered from highest to lowest):

Hans Zimmer (b. 1957): 12.5 million
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): 7.8 million
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): 7.7 million
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): 7 million
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): 6.9 million
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: (1840-1893): 6.4 million
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): 6.2 million
John Williams (b. 1932): 5.7 million
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): 5.5 million
Erik Satie (1866-1925): 5 million
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): 4.8 million
Thomas Newman (b. 1955): 4.8 million
Camille Saint-Saëns (1831-1921): 4.7 million
Howard Shore (b. 1946): 4 million
Danny Elfman (b. 1953): 3.8 million
Franz Liszt (1811-1886): 3.5 million
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020): 3.5 million
John Powell (b. 1963): 3.4 million
Robert Schumann (1810-1856): 3.4 million
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): 3.3 million
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): 3.3 million
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): 3.1 million
Alexandre Desplat (b. 1961): 3 million
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): 2.8 million
James Horner (1953-2015): 2.7 million
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): 2.6 million
Georges Bizet (1838-1875): 2.5 million
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): 2.5 million
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): 2.5 million
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): 2.4 million
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): 2.4 million
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901): 2.4 million
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): 2.3 million
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706): 2.1 million
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924): 2.1 million
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788): 2 million
Léo Delibes (1836-1891): 2 million
Edward Elgar (1857-1934): 1.7 million
Harry Gregson-Williams (b. 1961): 1.7 million
Philip Glass (b. 1937): 1.5 million
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): 1.5 million
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840): 1.3 million
Nino Rota (1911-1979): 1.3 million
Karl Jenkins (b. 1944): 1.2 million
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899): 1.2 million
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): 1.1 million
John Barry (1933-2011): 1.1 million
Christoph Willibald von Gluck (1714-1787): 1.1 million
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): 1.1 million
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880): 1.1 million
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): 1.1 million
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868): 1.1 million
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884): 1.1 million
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): 1 million
Jules Massenet (1842-1912): 1 million
Richard Wagner (1813-1883): 1 million
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): 993.7 thousand
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): 990.8 thousand
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): 989.6 thousand
Gustav Holst (1874-1934): 971.2 thousand
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): 937.9 thousand
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): 897.5 thousand
Nobuo Uematsu (b. 1959): 857.4 thousand
Charles Gounod (1818-1893): 840.5 thousand
Carl Orff (1895-1982): 832.6 thousand
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): 831.7 thousand
William Walton (1902-1983): 802.6 thousand
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): 801 thousand
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): 792.6 thousand
Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945): 774.2 thousand
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): 751.6 thousand
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): 745.6 thousand
Richard Strauss (1864-1949): 742.1 thousand
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): 721.8 thousand
Michael Nyman (b. 1944): 662.5 thousand
Rachel Portman (b. 1960): 655 thousand
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757): 647.2 thousand
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687): 630.2 thousand
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): 620.5 thousand
Frederick Delius (1862-1934): 618.4 thousand
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887): 597.8 thousand
George Gershwin (1898-1937): 596.1 thousand
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): 581.9 thousand
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909): 566 thousand
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999): 564.5 thousand
Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004): 543.9 thousand
Béla Bartók (1881-1945): 526.6 thousand
Clara Schumann (1819-1896): 519.7 thousand
Hildur Guðnadóttir (b. 1982): 468.2 thousand
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): 450.7 thousand
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): 430.6 thousand
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): 427.8 thousand
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): 414 thousand
Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975): 403.4 thousand
Koji Kondo (b. 1961): 402.6 thousand
Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924): 388.3 thousand
César Franck (1822-1890): 384.8 thousand
François Couperin (1668-1733): 349.1 thousand
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936): 344.9 thousand
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835): 344.4 thousand
Aaron Copland (1900-1990): 336 thousand
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847): 333.8 thousand
Max Bruch (1838-1920): 328 thousand
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946): 318.5 thousand
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): 315.9 thousand
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): 308.3 thousand
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736): 279.3 thousand
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832): 278.9 thousand
Hildegard von Bingen (ca. 1098-1179): 270.2 thousand
Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004): 263.7 thousand
Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652): 260 thousand
Maurice Jarre (1924-2009): 245.7 thousand
Enrique Granados (1867-1916): 240.9 thousand
Eric Whitacre (b. 1970): 239.2 thousand
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896): 239.1 thousand
Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886): 232.9 thousand
Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919): 230.3 thousand
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): 228.7 thousand
Gerald Finzi (1901-1956): 221 thousand
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): 214.9 thousand
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): 208.9 thousand
Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764): 205.8 thousand
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857): 165.6 thousand
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020): 159.7 thousand
Paul Dukas (1865-1935): 156.4 thousand
Steve Reich (b. 1936): 151.3 thousand
Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943): 149.6 thousand
Giulio Caccini (1551-1618): 149.2 thousand
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937): 147 thousand
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782): 141.6 thousand
John Adams (b. 1947): 140 thousand
Carl Czerny (1791-1857): 138.2 thousand
John Dowland (ca. 1563-1626): 130.4 thousand
Arturo Márquez (b. 1950): 128.4 thousand
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): 125.1 thousand
Franz Lehár (1870-1948): 119.8 thousand
John Tavener (1944-2013): 119.7 thousand
John Cage (1912-1992): 110 thousand
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957): 108.7 thousand
Henryk Górecki (1933-2010): 105.2 thousand
Kurt Weill (1900-1950): 103.1 thousand
William Byrd (1543-1623): 102.9 thousand
Frank Bridge (1879-1941): 101.8 thousand
Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842): 101.8 thousand
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (ca. 1525-1594): 101.8 thousand
Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864): 90.3 thousand
Hubert Parry (1848-1918): 90.1 thousand
Percy Grainger (1882-1961): 89.9 thousand
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704): 87.3 thousand
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931): 83.6 thousand
Thomas Tallis (ca. 1505-1585): 82.2 thousand
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998): 76.3 thousand
Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): 75.8 thousand
Tan Dun (b. 1957): 75.4 thousand
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): 75.2 thousand
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): 74.2 thousand
György Ligeti (1923-2006): 72.4 thousand
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006): 68.7 thousand
Josquin des Prez (ca. 1440-1521): 67.8 thousand
Orlando di Lasso (ca. 1532-1594): 66.5 thousand
Édouard Lalo (1823-1892): 66 thousand
Max Steiner (1888-1971): 65.8 thousand
Franz von Suppé (1819-1895): 64.9 thousand
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): 62.8 thousand
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900): 62.2 thousand
Thomas Adès (b. 1971): 59.7 thousand
Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880): 57.9 thousand
Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924): 52.1 thousand
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996): 51.1 thousand
Louis Spohr (1784-1859): 49.3 thousand
Guillaume Dufay (ca. 1400-1474): 46.9 thousand
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967): 42 thousand
Christian Sinding (1856-1941): 41.4 thousand
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): 37.5 thousand
Anton Webern (1883-1945): 37.2 thousand
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941): 34.6 thousand
Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1377): 32.5 thousand
Carlo Gesualdo (1561-1613): 32.3 thousand
Debbie Wiseman (b. 1963): 32 thousand
Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937): 31.1 thousand
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959): 29.2 thousand
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016): 27.5 thousand
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672): 26.8 thousand
Charles Ives (1874-1954): 26.4 thousand
Alban Berg (1885-1935): 26.2 thousand
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899): 25.3 thousand
Giovanni Gabrieli (ca. 1554-1612): 22.3 thousand
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007): 21.8 thousand
Franz Waxman (1906-1967): 20.2 thousand
Mily Balakirev (1837-1910): 14.4 thousand
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903): 13.2 thousand
Arthur Honegger (1892-1955): 11.8 thousand
Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994): 9.6 thousand
Michael Tippett (1905-1998): 7.2 thousand
Franz Berwald (1796-1868): 5.1 thousand
Elliot Carter (1908-2012): 3.5 thousand
Hanz Werner Henze (1926-2012): 2.7 thousand
Milton Babbit (1916-2011): 884
Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022): 826
Roy Harris (1898-1979): 525

I take several things away from this list:

1. Early music looks like it remains a hard sell. But not as hard a sell as late-20th-century avant-garde music.

2. Geeks' tastes aren't necessarily everyone else's tastes. (Conductors and committed hobbyists seem to like Bruckner more than anyone else.)

3. A given composer having had a "hit," even just one big one, drives plenty of these numbers.

4. The implication here is that popular media scores are the primary way in which classical music remains a vibrant part of contemporary culture. People are also thirsty to listen to new classical music that they actually enjoy.

What do you think?

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Ranking the Beethoven Piano Sonatas

I had so much fun with my Shostakovich symphonies list that I made a similar one for Beethoven's piano sonatas. I say "similar," because writing as much for 32 sonatas as I did for each of Shosty's 15 symphonies is a daunting prospect. So my blurbs here are briefer, usually limited to concise justifications. As before, I will try to balance appeal with the "greatness factor," at least in terms of how I perceive both to be at work. Enjoy.

32. Piano Sonata No. 20 in G, Op. 49, No. 2

Look, I at least like every single Beethoven piano sonata, and love most of them. But something has to occupy the bottom slots. Let's face it, the two slight sonatinas of the Opus 49 set are easy victims. They're deceptively numbered (not at all contemporaneous with Sonatas 18 and 21) and written for amateurs (nothing wrong with that, but this limits their scope). Most incriminatingly, they were published without Beethoven's approval. No. 20 in G is a *nice* little piece, and not a bit more.

31. Piano Sonata No. 19 in G Minor, Op. 49, No. 1

This one is surprisingly moving, so it rates above its opus-mate. But it's still a slender piece that is outclassed by nearly every other piano sonata Beethoven composed.

30. Piano Sonata No. 22 in F, Op. 54

The first movement is just above dull. The finale is more interesting, and in some ways impressively written. But like the first movement it just lacks a strong emotional core. A weird little creation.

29. Piano Sonata No. 25 in G, Op. 79

Some very nice moments and ideas but mostly a piece of fluff. Nothing wrong with that, but it's got some stiff competition on this list.

28. Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-Sharp, Op. 78 ("à Thérèse")

The "Piece for Thérèse" has its own special flavor. That puts it above the lowest items on my list. But in the end it is still rather slight compared with the more substantial sonatas in the cycle.

27. Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-Flat, Op. 27, No. 1 ("Quasi una fantasia")

The first of two Quasi una fantasia sonatas, both of which inhabit Opus 27. Their experimental character is obvious. But overall, and notwithstanding a vivid scherzo movement, the E-Flat has nowhere near the punch of its C-Sharp Minor brother.

26. Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 1

A very likable sonata with a spunky finale. But somehow this one never hit me like some of the others have. It's one of the easiest to play, unless you truly take the finale at prestissimo. Maybe I've just heard the first movement too many times at solo-and-ensemble competitions.

25. Piano Sonata No. 10 in G, Op. 14, No. 2

I ranked this as high as #25 only because of its gorgeous first movement. Savory stuff! Too bad the rest of it is comparatively snooze-worthy. (Seriously, movements 2-3 feel tacked-on somehow.) Also, this is one of four - count 'em, FOUR - Beethoven piano sonatas in G Major. That's 1/8 of them.

24. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1

As far as first sonatas go, Beethoven's official one more than holds serve. True, it's not as imposing as the others in Op. 2. But it's a sturdy work that holds the listener's interest fairly well through four movements, and closes things out in suitably vigorous fashion. The only other F-Minor sonata in the cycle is the Appassionata.

23. Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat, Op. 7

At just about half an hour long Op. 7 is pretty large. Unfortunately, I find the inspiration too intermittent for its extended length. Great first movement, dull slow movement, lovely scherzo, and so-so finale. Maybe I should rank this higher? Eh.

22. Piano Sonata No. 9 in E, Op. 14, No. 1

Okay, so now we're starting to see sonatas I consider to be more consistent. The Little E-Major here has pep in its step, with no true slow movement. (Instead we get a juicy Allegretto in the parallel minor!) The finale starts out being light and airy, but soon the listener discovers hidden depths. It's like stepping into a pool you think will be knee-high but is waste-high instead. Neat.

21. Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90

I'm torn on this one. On the one hand, it's consistently beautiful and even moving at times. On the other hand, something seems off here...as if the scale is too big for the content. Or something. My impulse is to place this higher, but in every instance that impulse gets shot down by the sonatas I have above it. Hmm.

20. Piano Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 2, No. 2

A definite advance beyond Sonata No. 1. The Little A-Major mostly lives up to its ambitious scale and constitutes a strong entry in Beethoven's early catalogue. Not as inspired as its C-Major opus-mate, but assured and highly likable. I love how the rising figure in the finale's main theme gets increasingly elaborate with later repetitions. Quirky!

19. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat, Op. 31, No. 3

Another sonata without a slow movement. I'm up for it. Or rather, I'm up for the thrilling scherzo and finale, and mildly appreciative of the other movements. Like No. 6's finale, No. 18's has more than a dash of Haydn-like wit and humor. Fun to play and listen to!

18. Piano Sonata No. 6 in F, Op. 10, No. 2

Yet another sonata without a slow movement. The middle minuet is fine. The first movement is good. The finale is one of my favorites in the whole cycle. Another one I could easily rank higher.

17. Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat, Op. 22

Opus 22 is one of the best sonatas of the early period from the standpoint of structure, and how it consolidates the gains of earlier works. The trouble is that while other early sonatas sometimes don't match it in terms of craft, some certainly do (and more) in their isolated points of inspiration. I'd like both inspiration and craft to be present, but I'm choosing inspiration every time if I have to choose. Not that Op. 22 is "uninspired" – it's a wonderful sonata. I just don't find myself deciding to listen to it as often as many of the others.

16. Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111

::Sigh::

The nerds and intellectuals adore Op. 111. But honestly, I'm a pretty lousy intellectual. And while I understand the arguments for this last sonata's greatness, I just don't particularly care for it. Too recondite for me. So, on MY list (as opposed to someone else's) it's at a respectable #16. Put it at #8 for geek appeal, and at #24 for how much I personally value it. Boom, 16. Happy average.

15. Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat, Op. 26

The reason this is ranked so highly is because of its astounding funeral march in A-Flat Minor. It's a rare classical-period instance of this key. (Another is the middle section of the second of Schubert's D. 946 pieces, which I adore.) But the other movements more than hold serve in what is an above-average early-period outing.

14. Piano Sonata No. 16 in G, Op. 31, No. 1

Based on personal taste, this would be in my Top 5. On my previous blog, Op. 31/1 was the subject of the first post, entitled "Beethoven's Maligned Sonata." I borrowed the adjective from my former graduate professor, William Kinderman, who used it to describe the disparagement this sonata has endured at the hands of critics like Eric Blom. But I love its wit, humor, and melodiousness. (The tune in the finale is one of my favorites in any music, and makes a mockery out of the notion that LvB wasn't really a melodist.) Beethoven was allowed to smile and have fun, and so are we.

13. Piano Sonata No. 15 in D, Op. 28 ("Pastoral")

Since I've put the Pastoral Sonata at #13, it might not surprise the reader to learn that its symphonic counterpart (No. 6) is one of my favorites in that cycle. But seriously, this is four straight movements of immersive loveliness...with a high level of craft throughout. Supple, melodious, and contemplative, with sunlit hues. Bask-worthy to the hilt. What's there not to like?

12. Piano Sonata No. 3 in C, Op. 2, No. 3

Okay, so this first C-Major piano sonata Beethoven composed doesn't match his other one in that key – the magisterial Waldstein. But Op. 2/3 might be the most accomplished and inspired in the series until we get to Op. 10/3. (It's arguably even a bit more consistent than the latter.) The standout movement is the second, an adagio in the surprising key of E. This has a magic I believe surpasses even that of the famous Moonlight Sonata's opening. Still an underrated piece.

11. Piano Sonata No. 7 in D, Op. 10, No. 3

Oh man, this is SOOOO close to being a grand slam! Only a noticeable falling off of inspiration with the finale prevents that. What a rush if life with the opening movement, complete with so many little emotions and experiences along the way! Then comes one of Beethoven's most spiritual slow sections of anywhere in his output. A wonderfully melodious trio follows. And then...the thing runs out of gas! There are some scattered points of interest in the finale, but the whole thing is hamstrung by its lousy main thematic idea. Oh well, at least we have the first three movements; Op. 10/3 is easily great on their account alone.

10. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 ("Quasi una fantasia"/"Moonlight")

The iconic opening movement is fine and all, but the really riveting stuff is in the finale. The latter is a span of straight fire; it's as close to "Beethoven in a nutshell" as you'll get. A charming, almost trite middle movement serves as a buffer between these two centers of great emotional gravity - not the only time Beethoven does this.

9. Piano Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109

In many ways the "Big E-Major" is an impressive sonata, and quite affecting. It doesn't quite hit me like most of the other late period sonatas, though. I ought to like it more than I do: it's got plenty of lyricism and tenderness, and I tend to cheer those things on more than some listeners. But there's a certain something that's missing, or only partially present, particularly when you compare it to Opp. 101, 106, or 110. And I don't think the reason is the lack of a giant fugue in the finale. Hmm.

8. Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2 ("Tempest")

I don't actually enjoy the Tempest Sonata quite as much as its high placement here suggests. For me the themes aren't particularly arresting. The reason I have it at No. 8 is because it's an historically important piece of music demonstrating what musicologist Carl Dahlhaus identified as the 'form as process' idea, wherein the form of a work comes into being as the result of innate potentialities in the opening material. I have to respect this kind of achievement, even when I am not moved quite as much as I'd like.

7. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 ("Pathétique")

Without a doubt this is the summit of the early-period sonatas. It debuts the 'form as process' idea in the cycle, with multiple cross-section motivic links culminating in the rondo finale. The whole thing has passionate intensity that does not let up for an instant. There are no seams, and no "down spots." Although some Beethoven sonatas are of larger scale than this one, few to none provide a more consistent or satisfying listening experience. And so much of it is culturally iconic.

6. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier")

In many ways this is the most impressive piano sonata that Beethoven composed. It is certainly the most imposing, and probably the most cerebral. The finale's fugue perennially amazes, and never fails to remind us that Beethoven's musical skill and imagination were light-years beyond those of almost anyone else. So why do I rank the Mighty Hammerklavier at Number 6? Well, like I've said: I give highest place to those works that both speak directly and impress intellectually. By those measures, Op. 106 is just a little too much in the weeds.

5. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat, Op. 110

Although I like Op. 101 just a bit more, for my money Op. 110 is the all-around greatest of the late sonatas. It almost perfectly balances intellect with directness. Like the Hammerklavier, it has a giant fugue in the finale. But this fugue is somehow less aloof and more accessible without losing intellectual "cred." The "Big A-Flat" is almost like a down-to-earth Hammerklavier. Yes, that's a compliment.

4. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 ("Appassionata")

Of all the great Beethoven piano sonatas, this took the longest to grow on me. The first couple of times I heard it I was like, "That's it? That's the famous Appassionata?' I guess I just found the opening movement too "preludey"...like it was building up to something that never quite happened. And the finale struck me immediately as impressive, but again I was waiting for a payoff that the quick concluding section never quite seemed to deliver. Silly me. Many years and recordings later I realize that "the journey is the point," as cliché as this sounds. Op. 57 has seeped into my being, and I now properly perceive it to be the colossus that it always was.

3. Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-Flat, Op. 81a ("Les Adieux")

Most people probably wouldn't rank this one so highly, but I find it absolutely compelling from start to finish. There's a sense of Romantic yearning in every theme, with splendidly worked out transitions. It's not a long sonata, but every moment of it rivets me and tugs at my heartstrings. The Farewell-Absence-Return dynamic succeeds resoundingly. One of Beethoven's most beautiful creations.

2. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A, Op. 101

My favorite of the late sonatas. Not only is the scale large, but there's a directness across all movements that you don't always find in the Third Period. This Big A-Major is ambitious while never getting lost in the weeds. From the start there's a certain poignancy, not least in what has to be the greatest scherzo movement in the cycle. Pathos and reflection, in every measure.

1. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C, Op. 53 ("Waldstein")

I have this crazy conviction: Beethoven peaked with his second, "Heroic" period and not his third creative period. As Scott Burnham puts it in Beethoven Hero (Princeton University Press, 1995), the values of the Heroic Period became the values of Music. The span in Beethoven's catalogue from Opus 53 through about Opus 74 is an unprecedented, nearly uninterrupted series of white-hot masterworks. They would eventually capture the imagination of the middle class, which was an essential part of Beethoven's ascent to immortality. At the front of this unbelievable stretch is this piano sonata, dedicated to his patron Count Ferdinand von Waldstein. It set the tone for every sonata of similarly ambitious scale to follow. As far as I'm concerned, it was rarely (if ever) to be surpassed. A work of staggering imagination, The Waldstein Sonata is also a noble expression of humanity for all listeners sophisticated and unsophisticated alike. While the final version has a slight middle movement separating the substantial outer portions, Beethoven originally composed something longer to go here. This later became a standalone piece called the Andante favori, cataloged as WoO 57. I regret only that Beethoven didn't stick with his first impulse. But the Waldstein is great either way, and there isn't another sonata of his I would put above it.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

The Shostakovich Symphonies: A Ranked List

Some time ago composer and music teacher Benjamin P. Jackson ranked the symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich on his website. You can see this here, complete with explanations for every work's placement. Although I disagree a lot with Mr. Jackson's order and rationales, the exercise was very well done. So much so, in fact, that I've decided to follow suit with my own pecking order.

I consider Shostakovich to be one of the very greatest symphonists of the 20th century, but by no means are his 15 symphonies even in terms of what I would consider to be quality. His cycle is an object lesson in the truth that consistency isn't a pre-requisite for genius. (And yes, I do believe there is such a thing as genius, regardless of what the obnoxious deconstructionists say.) But the highs are very high, even if we all can't agree precisely about what those are and why. There are still many conversations about Shostakovich's music to be had, especially ones in which Soviet political intrigue doesn't dominate our focus. In that spirit, here is my ranking:

15. Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat, Op. 20 ("The First of May")

For me this one edges out the Second Symphony as the dud of the cycle. Now, I am not one of those stubborn listeners who simply needs every symphony to have adhered to the "proper" (i.e. German) classical manner. I despise this ahistorical attitude (which thinks it's so historical), and combatting it is one of my raisons d'être as a musicologist. (See my published work.) So no, it's not the "banalities," nor any so-called "genre incongruities," nor even the obsequious Soviet patriotism that bother me about Shostakovich's Third. It's quite simply that I don't find its materials at all special or memorable. No. 3 presents half an hour or more of boring noodling, followed by equally boring choral-orchestral declamation. Not Shosty's best effort, to say the least.

14. Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 ("To October")

The Second Symphony has a couple of things going for it that the Third does not: it's a good deal shorter, and its materials are (or become) slightly more interesting after an almost atonal opening. (At that, the initial material is fairly quiet. If you're going to have noise, it's best to have quiet noise!) As in the Third, a chorus enters well into the piece. In this instance we get a puke-worthy poem by Alexander Bezymensky extolling Lenin and the October 1917 Revolution. So this text definitely sucks more than that used in No. 3. If I could understand sung Russian without a written translation, the lyrics might bother me enough to place No. 2 at the bottom. But, I'm throwing in with marginally more musical interest: No. 2 goes in the fourteenth slot.

13. Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 ("Babi Yar")

No. 13 comes in at No. 13. Is that unlucky? You might well think so, given the esteem in which this symphony is commonly held. But I merely feel unlucky every time I listen to it. Okay, that's being a bit dramatic. For real, though, I have never been very fond of Babi Yar. I admit that it has all kinds of fascination. I think the poems and what Shostakovich is commemorating here are extremely touching. Most of all I LOVE reading about this symphony's background, not least the cowardice and censorship he endured to get it heard. But all of that stuff captivates me more than the music itself, which I mostly find to be tedious. And it just goes on and on. My personal verdict is this: while the intentions are noble and the music is in many ways impressive, I'd almost always rather listen to other stuff by Shostakovich.

12. Symphony No. 14 in G Minor, Op. 135

Part of me wants to place this higher, because certain portions are very compelling. But mostly it's unremittingly dreary: a symphony about the finality of death by a Soviet atheist. Bleak stuff. Still, I have to give Shostakovich points for calling something a symphony that is essentially a cycle of eleven songs for soprano, bass, and string/percussion orchestra. It shows that the Mahlerian view of the genre (one of several which could be called "anti-classical") was no fluke in the early 20th century. This greatly compromises the symphonic purist position, which prizes classicism (especially of the German, sonata-form variety) to the exclusion of all else. And that's a GOOD thing. Consequently, if the Fourteenth is Grim with a capital G, and only sporadically memorable (for example, the hair-raising second movement!), so be it.

11. Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43

I hear the groans, hisses, and gnashing of teeth. "DUDE, why is No. 4 ranked so low??! It's like his best one! GAHHH!!" Okay, let me explain something to you. I don't care about brilliance if I find it to be aloof. Yes, this is a brilliant symphony, demonstrating first-rate facility and imagination. But do you know what it almost entirely misses? Plain-spoken, emotional directness. Whereas Shostakovich's Fifth is teeming with that (and comes in at just the right length), his Fourth is an interminable parade of pyrotechnics that leaves me cold. It's made for Geeks by a Geek. The composer himself basically admitted this when he said that here he was writing for himself. Again, I don't object to the Fourth's episodic structure; I'm concerned with the draw of its materials. Even now, after all of my musical study, I want what I hear to move me most of all...regardless of it fitting whichever theory or structural model. But I'm afraid that while No. 4 excites my nerdiness, much less does it win my love.

10. Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 ("The Year 1917")

Here's another Shostakovich symphony that conventional wisdom loves to hate. From what I gather, many would rate No. 12 only slightly above Nos. 2 and 3 at the bottom of the heap. But I have always harbored more affection for it than to do likewise. This is principally due to the first movement, titled "Revolutionary Petrograd," which is thoroughly tuneful and exciting! If the symphony had stopped there, I might place it a notch or two higher on this list. But invention definitely flags with the remaining movements, and one is forced to think more about the work's fetid Lenin inspiration while listening to much less engaging material. Truthfully, this isn't the only instance when Shostakovich opens a symphony with a belter (as the British say) while the rest fails to keep up. Great as he was, his inconsistency emerges on more local levels than merely from composition to composition.

9. Symphony No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 103 ("The Year 1905")

Speaking of inconsistency, we come to the Eleventh. The premise here is quite good; the setting and terrible events of Russia's 1905 Revolution receive some fantastic treatment. Appreciably harrowing is the depicted episode of the Winter Palace troops shooting angry protesters on Bloody Sunday (January 9th). The corresponding second-movement buildup and aftermath present one of the most devastatingly effective junctures in any Shostakovich symphony. Most of the remaining music follows the composer's programmatic indications quite compellingly. But the thing just goes on for too long. And without the program, it is diffuse and much less absorbing. One wonders whether a short series of focused symphonic poems under the general title The Year 1905 would have worked better...kind of like what you see with Smetana's Má vlast or Sibelius's Four Lemminkäinen Legends. But I suppose by 1957 the symphonic poem genre was getting to be pretty long in the tooth. Despite its imperfections (real or perceived), the Eleventh Symphony remains a work of great power. If the listener engages with it on its own terms, the whole can make a tremendous impression.

8. Symphony No. 15 in A, Op. 141

In what is otherwise a caricaturist, over-the-top film, Tony Palmer's Testimony (which concerns the life and music of Shostakovich) contains an interesting line. If memory serves, it's spoken by a disembodied Stalin to the composer, and goes something like this: "When I died, a certain something left your music." That's not the exact quote, but it's close. There is a lot of truth to the sentiment. You still get masterpieces in Shostakovich's late music, as well as occasional glimpses of his youthful spirit. But there's a lot of unrelenting darkness, too. His last symphony seems to embody this pattern pretty aptly. As with No. 12, but even more acutely, he opens with an absolute gem of a movement. In fact, this may be my personal favorite among all the movements of the 15 symphonies. The William Tell Overture quotations, not to mention the humorous references to 12-tone music, are parts of a kooky and absolutely magical mixture. (He is supposed to have said that this music has something to do with a toy shop coming alive at night. Just brilliant.) But the rest of the symphony is...fine. Not bad, but comparatively uneventful. When I listen to these remaining movements, I'm always still on a high from the opener and disappointed that nothing so riveting ever follows.

7. Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10

As far as First Symphonies go, this one is extremely impressive. The graduation project of a 19-year-old, it is in every way an assured first step in one of the century's major cycles. Given his later penchant for sprawling symphonic landscapes, it is ironic that Shostakovich's First is also one of his most concise. Youthful energy blends with humor and irony, the latter things persisting to the end of his career throughout widely divergent settings. I know plenty of people would rate No. 1 higher. I wouldn't necessarily disagree except that it doesn't quite have the emotional punch of some later symphonies, which come from deeper places of experience. So, I peg it as the lowest-ranked masterpiece on my list. What a way for a still-adolescent to prove to the world that he was the real deal!

6. Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat, Op. 70

I find Lighter-Vein Shostakovich to be hopelessly likable. I wish we had more of him. Was DS really thumbing his nose at Stalin and Company by writing an "anti-Ninth" to mark the end of the war? I don't know. But I know that the whole thing is gobs of fun to listen to. Every single time. I mean, who besides Zhdanov and Friends wouldn't want this delightful little romp instead of the bloated 'Hymn to Stalin and the Motherland' that was supposedly planned initially? Even in the slow movements (second and fourth), there's an easier feeling despite occasional eeriness. (After all, you can't take the menace ENTIRELY out of Shostakovich.) Also, the Ninth probably carries the distinction of being his most forthright nod to classicism. The sonata-form opening is sharply conceived and HILARIOUS. The scherzando-like third movement is always a blast, and the finale closes everything out with a rousing rondo. Performances usually last well under half an hour. Brevity might not always be the soul of wit, but the saying seems to apply here.

5. Symphony No. 7 in C, Op. 60 ("Leningrad")

The Leningrad embodies something that English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams famously wrote: "The composer must not shut himself up and think about art, he must live with his fellows and make his art an expression of the whole life of the community." In the 1940s, Shostakovich lived with his fellow Russians in Leningrad, faced fear and death with them when the Nazi army besieged their city, and there churned out a symphony conveying the somber heroism of those days. No wonder so many of his compatriots wept when they heard it performed. No wonder it came to stand as a symbol of Allied resistance to Axis aggression. To quibble over the "bombast" or loose form of the work, as some do, misses the point. Rhetorically this music hits all of the sensitive spots; if you're at all invested in its background/premise, the sheer emotional impact properly disarms such criticism. Yes, it sprawls a bit, but the payoffs are seemingly too flipping GOOD for that to matter. (Maybe the sprawling helps these payoffs to be so great, in a way.) One of my favorite parts is when the main theme returns to softly break the frightful tension in the aftermath of the first movement's 'Invasion Theme' stretch. That's as if to say: "It's not over yet. Keep fighting." This resonates on so many levels, even for those of us who weren't there.

4. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54

This might be another head-scratcher for some readers. But I feel that, if not for a so-so middle movement, No. 6 should be in the conversation for one of the top slots. It begins with phenomenal Largo that usually runs over 20 minutes. Jim Svejda calls this "music to shoot yourself by." I'm not certain I'd go that far, but it is definitely gloomy. Sure, this is an emotionally draining way to start a symphony. However, the music is so well conceived, and so deftly argued, that one can't help but admire the formidable craft. Perhaps the fluffy, rather inconsequential second movement is needed as a palette cleanser, then. Okay, fair enough. If this properly prepares the listener for my personal favorite among Shostakovich's finales, it's worth it. Gosh do I love the jaunty third movement! Here's Lighter-Vein Shostakovich again, and this time in the same work as such a serious opening. Some critics have not liked this at all. But Hugh Ottaway had it right when he suggested that "to marry such incongruous worlds as those of the first and third movements" was a "bold stroke of daring." (See Robert Simpson, ed., The Symphony, Volume 2: Elgar to the Present Day, Penguin Books, 1967, page 207.) I'm don't always agree with Mr. Ottaway...not even in the writing I just cited. But the point is well taken. Then again, I often listen to the finale by itself. So tuneful, and so much fun!

3. Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 65

I actually don't listen to No. 8 very often. I find it unnerving stuff that's best partaken of occasionally. The patriotism/heroism-hating critics sometimes express how much better they like this war-symphony than the Leningrad. You see, it 'more realistically expresses the hell of war.' Notwithstanding the fact that patriotism and heroism are as legitimate as war's horrors, the Eighth does look at things from a slightly different angle. If you're in a calm frame of mind, it can be an extremely powerful experience. In terms of craft, I'd say this 65-minute behemoth is very nearly a masterpiece, or maybe a "minor" masterpiece. The first four movements are absolutely convincing in terms of narrative experience. My main trouble is with a slightly meandering finale where the inspiration lapses just a bit. With the Eighth Shostakovich came very close to a complete vindication of his post-Mahlerian symphonic ideal. But a full realization would have to wait another couple of symphonies.

2. Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47

There's a reason why the Fifth is probably Shostakovich's most-performed symphony. Quite simply, it speaks equally to popular and intellectual sensibilities. It balances the composer's essentially dramatic symphonic idiom with a tight form that even classicists can appreciate. It revels in memorable melody, yet also offers plenty in terms of harmony, sonority, and orchestral timbre. In short, it's the place in the whole cycle where everyone can most "meet in the middle." Rather than dilute the work, this elevates it. If that weren't enough, the background story is juicy: "A Soviet Artist's Creative Reply to Just and Deserved Criticism." Wow! What's really going on there? We've been debating this for many decades and still haven't come to a satisfying conclusion. That's part of the symphony's magic: was Shostakovich sincerely trying to make amends with his government, or was he pretending to do so while surreptitiously thumbing his nose? The truth is probably complicated. But the music of the Fifth often seems mysterious, even equivocal. As such it continues to tantalize expert and layman alike. Long may it do so.

1. Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93

This is it: the summit of Shostakovich's symphonic cycle. The Tenth is the resounding fulfillment of everything that worked only so well in most of its brethren. Each movement operates soundly according to its own terms, and the whole is gripping from start to finish. When you compose symphonies with a song or opera orientation, as Shostakovich did, you can easily slip into certain kinds of detracting pitfalls: recitative-like noodling, trouble knitting themes together, or not quite knowing how or when to draw things to a close. So many symphonies by Shostakovich are powerful DESPITE all of the stuff dangling from them. Well, there is no dangling here. For once every note of an extensive span is needed, even during a big opening movement. This time the latter is a Moderato instead of something slower. Builds toward climaxes are impeccably shaped; nothing feels tacked on. Every bar rewards emotional investment. The conclusion of this movement leaves you breathless, but not exhausted. The Allegro that follows is absolutely terrifying. I have no idea if it is a musical depiction of Stalin or not, nor if the whole symphony is a celebration of the despot's death, as has been claimed. But it doesn't matter. Halfway through, listener attention is given no reason to wander. (You can't say that for very many other Shostakovich symphonies.) Then comes the bewitching Allegretto with its DSCH motive and freaky Mahlerian horn call. This music haunted my thoughts for long after I first heard it. Last but not least we have a winner of a finale that absolutely maintains the heretofore high inspiration – right down to those closing DSCH statements in the timpani. In sum, the Tenth represents the best of everything Shostakovich attempted, and most cogently speaks of the world in which he and his cohorts lived, suffered, and persevered.

Conclusion

As I finish this ranking, I realize that Shostakovich really only "rang the bell" symphonically perhaps a handful of times. Few to none of the fifteen are what I would call "bad," but he was like most symphonists (even many "great" ones): greatness by no means saturates every corner of his cycle. On the other hand, perfection shouldn't be the standard, as even Beethoven's 9 symphonies are not consistently "great." The question should be whether or not this music can speak earnestly to us in the world we live today. For Shostakovich I believe that the answer is a full-throated "yes," and I would it apply to nearly every individual work across the 15 regardless of imperfections. I firmly believe that the test of a symphony should not be its adherence to arbitrary rules of form, but rather its ability to move us on a direct level, and testify engrossingly to what was in the composer's heart, mind, and surroundings. If this is the measure, Shostakovich's cycle is one of the best, and the entirety is definitely more than the sum of its parts.